Persona 3Dark Hour
by redbunnybrain
Summary: After events of Persona 3 Hiruki Tomoyo is the new student of Gekkoukan High, living in the recently reopened dorm. Weird occurrences are happening left and right, ending her up in the unknown hours of the night. Mostly because she looks and acts exactly like HER...but that all ended, and she disappeared...right? JunpeixOC, ShinjiroxMinako
1. Chapter 1

April 17, Evening

The sky is dark, and the streets only occupy the night strollers. In a hurry, she tries to walk a little quicker. Ignoring the stares, she heads to the location she was told to go.

Upon first entering the front, she sees who she assumes is Mitsuru Kirijo, and walks up to the front steps.

Mitsuru turns to her and gasps. "O-oh, you're the new transfer student, correct? Um, I'm Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm sure you're tired from your ride here, so I scheduled a means of transportation to drive you to your temporary stay."

"Thank you." The girl replied.

"Uh, I would have you stay in the normal dorms, but your room is currently under maintenance. I recall your name is Hiruki Tomoyo, right?" Said person nodded. "Yes…I do hope your stay at Gekkoukan High is comfortable."

Silence fills the air; Hiruki wonders why Mitsuru sounds nervous.

The black car pulls up, and Mitsuru walks down with her and into the back.

"So, I'm staying in an old club dorm, right?" Hiruki asked. Mitsuru nodded.

"Yes, the residents who left are to be returning soon, so you will stay until you are correctly situated."

Hiruki waited for cricket noises to fill the silence. At their arrival, her surroundings were quiet and had dim lighting, bringing a relaxed look.

It felt comfortable, familiar. "You must be exhausted, why don't you rest for the night. You'll have a very busy day tomorrow." Mitsuru suggested. "Your room is on the third floor, last down the hall."

"Thank you. I guess I'll be going to sleep for the night." Hiruki smiled and walked up the stairs until she reached the said door.

Behind it, she saw a plain but nice room, the bed sheets pink and white, blue curtains. There was a desk, a TV, with an area for a sink and mirror adorned with a small fridge.

A few shelves had been placed, but Hiruki noticed her boxes and bags underneath them.

Sighing, she fell onto the bed. Not bothering to change, she went to sleep.

April 18, Early Morning

Looking at the uniform Mitsuru had given her, she inspected herself through the mirror.

Her brown hair was up, which only barely reached to her shoulders while up, bobby pins making the mark XXII on the side, red eyes staring back, and red headphones hanging around her neck. Propped onto her nose were black framed glasses that gave off a fun-loving, intelligent look.

She couldn't help but sigh; it was weird being in an empty dorm alone. Hiruki heard sudden knocks on her door.

"Excuse me, but may I come in?" Mitsuru's muffled voice asked.

"Yes, come in." Hiruki replied, and Mitsuru stepped inside.

"Oh, your ready. I came to take you to school on your first day. That way you wouldn't be lost." Mitsuru explained.

"Okay, that'd be great. I don't really know my way around here." She smiled.

"Good, I guess we'll be off then."

The subway ride was quiet like the car, and Hiruki was left to wonder about Mitsuru again.

The building was surrounded by trees and bustling students. "This is Gekkoukan High. You'll have to go to the faculty office for your schedule. Its to the left from the first entrance."

"I must attend to other matters. I hope your first day goes well. If you need any help, just ask for me. Farewell." Mitsuru waved before leaving.

After wondering around, she entered the faculty office. "Oh, you're here." A teacher spoke up. "I'm Ms. Toirumi, your teacher. Its nice to meet you."

"You too." Hiruki nodded.

"You're a little late into the year, but I'm sure you'll catch up."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"No need for apologies. Now, let's head to the class."

"Good morning everyone. The weekends over, time to learn. Or at least listen." Ms. Toirumi sighed.

"Anyway, we have yet another transfer student. Her name is Hiruki Tomoyo." Hiruki walked inside, to hear three gasps. Ignoring it, she asked herself when she'd stop hearing that.

"Why'd you transfer here?" A girl asked.

"Oh, I came here from an Osaka orphanage." She answered.

"O-oh…" The girl was quiet, but everyone kept whispering.

"Now, you can sit over there."

"But he's not here today, Ms. Toirumi."

"If he's not here, then that's not his seat." Hiruki almost shivered at her sudden change of voice as she sat down.

Lunch arrived and her phone rang, signaling for a text. However, she ignored it with food on her mind.

Waiting outside the classroom was Mitsuru. "Hello, sorry to bother you. I wanted to ask that you meet in the lounge with me after school. Thank you." just as soon as she came, she left.

'_She's so serious.'_ Hiruki thought and ate up on the roof.

~Evening~

Mitsuru greeted her in the lounge, which was slightly brighter. Other pairs of eyes stared at her in the room.

"Good to see you came. I'm aware that you have seen them before, but there will be students from your class staying now as well."

"H-hello, I'm Yukari Takeba." One introduced herself.

"The names Junpei."

"And I'm Fuuka Yamagishi."

"And this is Aigis." Mitsuru told her. Hiruki looked closely at them, feeling like she'd seen them before.

"Hm…" She pondered. "Its nice to meet you."

"Yeah, its _definitely_ nice to meet a new pretty face." Junpei grinned, Yukari rolling her eyes.

"Your such a pig, even now. Its just like last year." She hissed.

"You should probably go to sleep early, you seem tired." Mitsuru said. "Goodnight, I should be going off now."

"Wait, where would she go?" Hiruki asked once Mitsuru closed the door behind her.

"She attends a college nearby with some other students that lived here." Fuuka explained.

"They'll be coming tomorrow night, but they were busy today." Yukari added.

~Somewhere else, Midnight~

"Hm, 1'o'clock…Time to have fun." The teenage guy chuckled. A growl sounded from behind him, but he didn't bother to turn.

A voice called out to him. "Huh? Who the hell's that?"

Suddenly he screamed as a force closed in on him.


	2. Chapter 2

April 19, Early Morning

Hiruki closed the door to her room and noticed Junpei sitting at one of the tables outside.

"Hey! Mornin' sleepy head!"

"Good morning. I thought you left with Yukari." She replied.

"Nah, she had to go early for archery club. I was gonna ask ya if you wanted to head to school with me." Junpei suggested.

"Ok, that'd be nice." Hiruki nodded and began walking downstairs.

They entered the streets.

"So, your from Osaka, huh?" He struck conversation.

"Yep, but I like it here. It feels…familiar." She tried wording it right.

"I'm glad. You'll have no problem fitting in though. Your already well liked."

"Really?"

"Yeah, my friends won't shut up about you being the new girl." He sighed.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize coz your popular." He laughed.

"You know, your nice. You seem familiar." She smiled.

"Yeah…" He looked away. "More than ya think."

"Huh?" Hiruki didn't hear what he'd mumbled.

"Oh, nothing." He lied.

~Afternoon~

"Junpei!"

"Uh…ah, c'mon, Mr. Ekoda, why me? I don't know this!" He groaned. "Hey!"

Hiruki looked up at him from his whispering. "Do you know the answer?"

"Its Hosawa Hisanagi. He wrote the book." She quietly told Junpei. He repeated it aloud.

"…Correct."

Mr. Ekoda continued his lesson. Junpei exhaled in relief. "Thanks, you saved my butt." Hiruki smiled, and he was swept with memories of _her_. She always told him the answers in class.

In her next class, she fell asleep, bored with the lesson. As Hiruki slept, she had a weird dream of a robot and a dog in her class. Even weirder, Aigis had been the robot.

After school, while sitting in Paulownia Mall, she found herself in a blue room.

"Welcome back to the Velvet Room." A man hunched over with a big, long nose greeted her.

"What am I doing here?"

"Hm? Amazing…exactly identical. The only question is your abilities."

"I am Igor, and this," He held out a piece of paper. "This contract, do you remember it?"

Hiruki shook her head. "Then until you understand, keep hold of this key."

She opened her eyes to the Paulownia Mall, a velvet key in her hand. She slipped it into her pocket.

~Evening~

With a sigh, she walked into the dorm room to the lounge. The second she entered, she found herself on the floor. Above her was white fur, and red eyes.

The dog licked her face happily, as if he hadn't seen her in years, though she knew she'd never met him.

"Whoa…" Three voices said. She looked up to see two guys about her age and an elementary kid.

"Koromaru, did you tackle Hiruki-chan?" Fuuka asked, entering the room.

"Its fine, he's so cute." Hiruki giggled, petting him. He panted.

Hiruki turned her eyes to the three that just stared at her. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no, its just—" The little boy stopped. "I'm Ken."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Hiruki Tomoyo." She smiled. "And you two?"

"They're Akihiko Sanada and Shinjiro Aragaki." Mitsuru replied.

"They attend college with Mitsuru-senpai." Fuuka added.

"Oh, well, who's this one?" Hiruki patted the dog's head.

"He's Koromaru. They'll all be staying with us for a while." Yukari informed her.

"Well, that's good, I guess." Hiruki fell silent and listened to the TV.

"_It seems the reports are true. The Apathy Syndrome has come back in the town of Iwatodai. This man was found in the back alley of Iwatodai Station with all symptoms. We hope you all look out for any clues about this horrible event. Stay tuned for more information."_

Hiruki stepped closer and narrowed her eyes. "Is somethin' wrong, Ruki-tan?" Junpei asked.

"I've seen him before." She muttered just loud enough for them to hear.

"You have?" Akihiko spoke up. She nodded once.

"On my way from Iwatodai Station, I think around midnight…he was hanging out in the streets. They seemed like they were part of that group always causing trouble I heard about."

"Now I remember. He was talking shit in the Tatsumi Alley." Shinjiro said. Hiruki put a hand in her skirt pocket and remembered the key from earlier.

Pulling it out where the others couldn't see it, she whispered, "The Apathy Syndrome, the Velvet Room, what's all going on?"

"We should all just turn in early." Junpei looked over to Hiruki. "Ruki-tan, ya okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, I guess I was spacing out." She forced a smile. "I'm going upstairs." Hiruki left the room and went up to her dorm.

"She looks just like her." Akihiko remarked.

"Even her personality." Ken agreed.

"It seems we'll have to study further into this." Mitsuru said.

"But she doesn't remember us." Yukari pointed out, and Koromaru whimpered.

"This can't be the same Minako. I saw her fall into a coma before my own eyes." Shinjiro told them.

"You were in a coma too, but you wake up." Yukari sighed.

"On her first day, she said she came from an orphanage in Osaka. Does that mean…?"

"Her files list that she has no parents." Mitsuru explained.

"I do not sense Minako within her." Aigis announced.

"Then its not her?" could it be a coincidence?" Fuuka questioned.

~Midnight~

Hiruki looked around the spacious dorm, seeing various books on the desk. There laid a box as well. Curious, she reached out to touch it.

A sudden noise stopped her, and she stared at the door. Nothing happened. She quickly began to change, grabbed the box, and slipped out into the hallway.

Trying to not make a sound, she heard the noise again behind the door to the roof. She turned the doorknob, and felt the cool, night air hit her skin.

~Command Room~

"Have you found anything, Yamagishi?" Mitsuru asked.

From within Juno, Fuuka shook her head. "I'll keep looking."

"Where's Yukari?" Junpei asked.

"She's checking up on Tomoyo." Mitsuru told him.

"They can't seriously be back, can they?" He continued.

"Well, if they really are the same person, then the great seal has been released." Akihiko explained.

"We have a problem!" Yukari shouted. "She's gone!"

"Yamagishi!"

"Yes!" Fuuka closed her eyes and concentrated. "She's on the roof…wait, w-with a shadow!"

"Let's go!"

~The Roof~

Hiruki looked out at the edge. A growl erupted from her left. Up in the sky, a huge body stared back at her. The box crashed to the floor at her feet.

A gun stared back at her. The others ran outside.

"Hiruki!" Junpei called.

'_Persona!'_ The voice came from a memory. Hiruki picked up the gun, and hesitantly put it to her head.

"Hiruki-chan, don't!" Yukari hollered.

"Wait, that's not a—!"

She shot the gun, and the memories quickly played in her head, restored.

"Minako Arisato…" She muttered.

"Hiruki, watch out!" Akihiko warned her too late as the shadow landed so hard she lost her balance.

"Messiah!" She called and before she began to fall the Persona caught her in the air. Gasps filled the air. "It's a…its _the_ persona."

Hiruki stood, glaring at the shadow, Messiah behind her.

"_I await your order." _It said.

"…Per-sona…" She whispered, tired. Her energy quickly depleting. Messiah attacked and Hiruki screamed in pain before passing out.

"Hiruki-chan!"

"Ruki-tan, wake up!"

"Hey, stay with us here!"

"Minako, I'm sorry…" Her vision went black.


	3. Chapter 3

April 22, Morning

"Minako!" Hiruki shouted before awaking.

"So your up!" Junpei said.

"O-oh, Junpei, your all here?" She smiled up at them.

"Oh, why are you crying?" Yukari asked, seeing the small amount of tears running down the girls cheeks, who didn't have her glasses on.

"Are you okay, Hiruki-chan?" Fuuka held up the doctor button (don't remember what its called)

"No, no, I'm fine. Its just…I can't believe I walked around as your old friend. I'm sorry."

"Wait, you know?" Akihiko's eyes widened. She nodded.

"I'm…not Minako, exactly." She said.

"I sense her within you now, but its different." Aigis stared at her.

"I'm still Hiruki, but when Minako fell into a coma, I was born from her subconscious. What I mean to say is…her soul lives within me, I am a reinbodiment, reborn."

"But how?" Ken wondered.

"In a way, she's like Death 11 years ago. Her presence was moved into me to live on." Hiruki explained. "That's all I know."

"But before…"

"The evoker triggered the power within me, as well as some memories. But only a little."

"But how much?" Mitsuru questioned.

"I remember you guys, the dorm, and the Dark Hour. Anything else will take time." Hiruki turned to Shinjiro. "I also remember you. I'm glad your okay now."

"But wait, didn't you—"

"Thanks." He interrupted Junpei.

"Well, we've got some catching up to do! The doc said you could come back today." Junpei changed subjects.

"I guess we do." Hiruki smiled.

"I'm sorry to be so serious, but what about the sudden Apathy Syndrome?" Mitsuru apologized.

"I don't know. That shadow appeared out of nowhere." She shook her head.

"Oh, here." Akihiko held out her evoker. "It was Minako's, and in the same room you were in, but we thought you'd keep it."

"Yes. Thank you." She grasped it tightly. She could see Minako holding it to her head in the back of her mind.

April 23, Morning

"Finally! Sunday!" Junpei shouted.

"Yeah!" Hiruki agreed.

"So, its your first weekend here, right? We still haven't shown you around either." Yukari noted.

"Yeah, we should all show Ruki-tan around!"

"You'll just end up taking her to the manga store." Yukari rolled her eyes.

"Well, I wouldn't mind going." Hiruki tried to keep an argument from starting.

"Anything you want." Fuuka nodded.

~Evening~

The lounge was quiet. Hiruki listened to her music player on the couch.

"Man, we gotta do something!" Junpei burst. "This silence is killing me!"

"No surprise that you'd ruin a nice silent moment of peace." Shinjiro sighed.

"All this tension since Hiruki's persona was first summoned is getting annoying. Let's all do something!"

"Well…the karaoke store is selling rooms half off." Hiruki spoke up.

"Great idea, Ruki-tan!"

"Thanks." She smiled.

"Well, a break would be nice." Yukari admitted.

"Then we'll all do a karaoke night in honor of Tomoyo's joining." Mitsuru announced. "My treat."

"Awesome!" Junpei grinned.

~Paulownia Mall~

"We have the food." Fuuka and Yukari came in with arms full of food. They spread all the food onto the coffee table as Junpei sang.

"Stupei's singing? I wish I was deaf!"

"At least you missed the high note he failed to reach." Shinjiro groaned, pulling his beanie lower over his ears. "My ears are still ringing."

"Well, who's next?" Mitsuru asked.

"Thank you, thank you, I'm here all week!" Junpei bowed.

"Boo…" Yukari teased.

"Heh, heh, why doesn't Ruki-tan sing?"

"W-what? Me?" Hiruki broke from staring into space.

"Yeah, since you're the only one that cheered for me."

"I'd like to see you sing." Ken encouraged her.

"I-I guess." Hiruki hesitantly took the mike and surfed through the song list.

"Well, I do like this one…" She blushed, and a beat started.

"_Mujihina kotoba dake ga detarame ni machi ni afureteru. Never more, setsunaku nagareteta koe. Nagigenai nichijou ga soyonara wo tsuge."_

Her voice was strong as it flowed with the emotions of the music. Matching the beat and rhythm perfectly, the others began to cheer her on, so she continued confidently.

"_Wasurenai yo, daiji ma minna to sugoshita mainichi. Never more kurai yami ma hitori janai sa."_

Soon enough, the song ended. "Whoo, who knew our curvy old leader had a voice?"

"Not really. Why doesn't someone else sing?" She blushed in embarrassment.

"So that's why you opted to come here. Were you planning to come here anyway?" Yukari deviously teased.

"N-no! That's not it at all!" Hiruki turned crimson.

"Looks can definitely fool ya. Shinji can cook and Hiruki can sing." Akihiko remarked.

"Ya had to go there?" Shinjiro glared.

"I forgot about that!" Hiruki giggled.

"Are you blushing Shinjiro-senpai?" Fuuka asked.

"No, its nothing." He lied, turning away,

"Ok, I'm totally doing a duet with leader next!" Junpei shouted.

Various laughs filled the room. Hiruki felt like she belonged. But why are they treating her so kind when she reminded them of Minako every time they looked at her? She didn't deserve it. Being called leader when that was Minako's rightful name.

As these ideas filled her head, Hiruki bit back tears. She was living in the shadow of someone else's identity. Her appearance was just an imitation. She could never replace Minako for them.

"Is something wrong, Tomoyo?" Mitsuru asked, concerned.

"No, its nothing." She seemed to be telling herself that more than the others.

"Does that mean it didn't work?" Junpei whispered to Yukari and Ken.

"She was fine just a few minutes ago." Ken pointed out. Yukari suddenly slapped Junpei's arm.

"Ow, what'd I do?"

"You called her leader, Stupei!"

"O-oh…"

"She's sensitive about Minako right now, Junpei-kun." Fuuka explained.

"What are you four whispering about?" Akihiko narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Koromaru says _"They're talking about Hiruki-chan."_" Aigis translated.

Everyone turned to stare at the girl that stared into space.

"So you four planned this with an ulterior motive." Mitsuru realized.

"Its before midnight, we should start heading back." Akihiko told them.

Walking down the stairs, she looked to her right and noticed an ominous blue light emanating from the back alley.

Hiruki began to walk over once she reached the bottom step. Holding the key in her hand, she recalled what Igor had said.

"_Then until you understand, keep hold of this."_

Without another word, she found herself in the velvet room. "Welcome. It seems you've finally returned."

The woman's pale blonde hair and yellow eyes reminded her of Theodore. "Margaret, I remember."

"Correct. Your memory is keen now." She nodded. "I will be assisting you from now on."

"Wait, what happened to Theodore?" Hiruki asked, eyes widened.

"Theodore left, so I am now taking charge of his responsibilities in the Velvet Room." Margaret announced.


End file.
